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Kenny Beck

Kenny has had the good fortune to wear a lot of hats during his time at WXII and now, he finds himself back where he started - anchoring news.

He took over as weekday morning news anchor in January of 2015 after a successful stint as sports director for a half decade prior. Before his time in sports, Kenny spent three years as weekend morning anchor and weekday morning reporter.

During his time at WXII, he has covered a number of big stories in both news and sports. When the Appalachian State football team won an unprecedented third consecutive national title in Chattanooga in December 2007, he was there. When multiple tornadoes moved through the Triad overnight in May 2008 causing widespread damage and fear, Kenny was there. When a deadly police shootout erupted on Peters Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem in October 2009, he was the first one on the air anchoring WXII's wall-to-wall, and ultimately, award-winning coverage. When the Duke Blue Devils won a fourth national championship in men's basketball in April 2010, he was on campus as students celebrated. And in the summer of 2013, his profile story on a local cross country runner battling multiple sclerosis was named "Sports Story of the Year" by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters at its inaugural awards ceremony.

Before his days at WXII, Kenny was the senior anchor at WMDT 47 News in Salisbury, Maryland where he won a number of Associated Press awards for his reporting and anchoring and also organized, produced and moderated several political debates for city and statewide office. The perfect story, he says, is one that has a significant impact on viewers' lives, is explained in a way people can understand, and is visually captivating.

Even though he is from a suburb of Baltimore, he is no stranger to ACC country. While earning his broadcast journalism degree at the University of Maryland, he was also a member of the baseball team where he played against ACC legends Mark Teixeira, Dave Bush and Khalil Greene.

As a relief pitcher, he once held the school's single-season saves record. After graduating Magna Cum Laude, he was drafted by the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals) in the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

During his brief pro career, he kept a detailed diary of life in the minors, which was later published under the title, "What Day Is Today?"

Kenny married his long-time friend, Amanda, in June 2006 (despite the fact that she dumped him twice in high school) and in 2010 they welcomed their first child, Carly, into the world. Two years later, they were blessed with a son, Owen. They currently live in Forsyth County with their dog, Ripken (named after Cal).

Forty years ago, one of the greatest boxing matches in history took place in an unlikely setting: the capital of the Philippines. Muhammad Ali's epic win over great rival Joe Frazier in 1975 became known as the "Thrilla in Manila."